Hiking Around the Arroyo

It’s amazing how similar the landscape here is to home. Superficially, one might say it’s quite different — more trees, bluer greens, redder browns, and bigger cacti.  But it’s a similar semi-arid landscape of rolling hills anchored by dry creek beds that occasionally fill. Here, they are arroyos. At home, they are coulees.

Upon arrival yesterday, John showed me a trail head into a massive network of trails developed by the local residents. I headed out around 11:30 and hiked for a couple of hours. The weather was perfect, not too sunny or warm. I walked until I ran out of obviously trail and then found my way back. I picked the wrong path a few times and had to keep reminding myself I was only misplaced, not lost, so long as I could get back to a point where I was still on the right track. 🙂

An Arctic Fox in the desert...

An Arctic Fox in the desert…

It really does look a lot like home!

It really does look a lot like home!

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I want to go back and climb that slope of rock. :)

I want to go back and climb that slope of rock. 🙂

Some sort of willow grove.

Some sort of willow grove.

Salix is very distinction.

Salix is very distinctive.

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Dandelion!

Dandelion!

Water!

Water!

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Such a variety of landscapes!

Such a variety of landscapes!

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Crap. Which way?

Crap. Which way?

What a lovely way to spend a few hours!

Some Catch Up Pictures

It was too dark last night to take some of the pictures I wanted to share in addition to the fact that I’d left the camera battery in the truck and I was too knackered to go and get it. 🙂 BTW, it is DARK out there at night. John left me a flashlight. He thought of everything!

First of all, some neat things about this RV.

Notice the beautiful solid honey oak cabinetry like I have in my rig. It feels very natural to handle. 🙂

Next, notice the big drawer under the sink?

Big drawer under the sink?

Big drawer under the sink?

Nope. What a clever use of space!

Nope. What a clever use of space!

That is brilliant! In case the picture isn’t clear, you have two little drawers on either side, a long narrow one in the middle, and the interior is cut open for the sink.

Next, the shower, which is within a little tub. This was hanging in on the towel bar:

A chamois says so much. :)

A chamois says so much. 🙂

I know that that means! Dry the shower after use! I’m pretty sure this is common RV language that does not require words. 🙂

There is no shower curtain, but rather one of those roller doors on a spring (like a window blind, only installed vertically):

Challenging shower screen.

Challenging shower screen.

I’d heard about them, but never used one. You need firm steady pressure to extend it. Do not let go or it will snap back! It then needs to be snapped into place at the other end of the bath.

So I had my shower last night, lovely water pressure, hot water, all is wonderful, and I’m about to crawl into warm jammies and a comfy bed when…

I realise I have no idea how to get the dang shower screen open again.

Since it had snapped into place, I figured a firm pressure at the right place would dislodge it, but it took a minute to find the right place. I remembered to hold on tight to keep it from snapping back! Tonight will be easier. 🙂

I like the screen very much as it’s more water tight than a shower curtain, plus you don’t have to deal with the shower curtain flapping around you. I now get why a lot of RVers have upgraded to them.

Finally about the RV:

View from my office.

View from my office.

Now, some pictures for the curious ladies. Here’s that purse/wallet I bought yesterday. The exterior weaving is gorgeous!

Wallet/purse opened up to show the pattern.

Wallet/purse opened up to show the pattern.

The inside is a fine denim with lots of pockets. The only thing I don’t like is the Velcro and I will likely pick it all apart when I get home and replace it with a few snaps instead.

Lots and lots of pockets in it!

Lots and lots of pockets in it!

Closed up in purse mode.

Closed up in purse mode.

My glass bead earrings were easier to photograph in daylight. I’m sure all the earring wearing ladies reading this would agree that I couldn’t possibly leave these behind, right?

So pretty!

So pretty!

And here are my turquoise earrings, understated and unpolished and full of iron oxide and one has a chunk missing from it. I would have paid $4 anyway to support the community, so what’s an extra $6 for a souvenir that will ensure I’ll never forget driving the Turquoise Trail?

The imperfections make them perfect.

The imperfections make them perfect.

Down Day

John picked up on something that I hadn’t even noticed myself, that I’m getting road weary. I didn’t realise it until this morning that he’s right! I’ve been on the road 12 days now and I haven’t had a real day of rest. Even though I have a project due tomorrow night, I just may leave it till tomorrow and instead just chill this morning and go hiking in the nearby hills in the afternoon.

I’m out in the country and it is so quiet here! I’ll take pictures later. It is the polar opposite of Isla. T or C wasn’t really that noisy, but I was still in a town. It was lovely to wake up with the sun this morning instead of the roosters or garbage trucks! 🙂

The night was cold and I just burrowed under a pile of bedding like I do at home, getting up around 6:30 to turn on the heat and then go back to bed with my iPad to catch up on blogs… and promptly fell back asleep in the middle of reading Croft‘s latest comment! Someone was more tired than she realised. 😀

The bed is yet another super comfy marshmallowly one, this time with a topper, so now I know that a topper would be a really good investment for me and that I don’t have to spend a lot of money. The bed on Isla is the same size as my bed at home, so the topper could go between both properties.

John has been reading the blog carefully and listening to all my gripes about my accommodations so far, worried about getting a bad review. Heh heh heh. No worries, five-star accommodations here. I mean, clean rig, good bed, good shower, kettle, and SHARP KNIVES. 😀